Back
in (August) 1973, Marathon John and Quick Carl were locked in 30 second
battles on the television screen using an eight inch, braided caramel bar
coated in milk chocolate.
Marathon John (Patrick Wayne) would ride
into the scene. The villain would announce himself as Quick Carl and
state something like, ". . . I do everything fast." Marathon
John would toss him a monstrous Marathon bar and challenge Carl to eat it
fast.
The bright red package, complete with a
ruler on the back, made it stand out in the candy isle and at the check out
stands. However, despite the memorable advertising campaigns and the
colorful imagery, sales expectations were not met and Mars, Inc. pulled it
from the shelves in October of 1981.
If you crave this treat, contact M&M/Mars
and let them know that you want to see it make a nostalgic comeback.
Heck, Patrick Wayne might even be interested in resurrecting his role.
Get all of your friends and family involved - start a grass roots campaign.
Who knows, we might see it make its deserved comeback. You can contact
Mars, Inc. at (800) 627-7852, Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM EST.
You can also leave feedback on their web site at:
Note: The "American" Marathon Bar is
not to be confused with the "English" Marathon Bar. The British
confection was a chocolate, caramel, and peanut bar sold in the U.S. under
the familiar name, Snickers. Mars renamed the British Marathon to
Snickers in the early 1990s.
To
confuse matters even more, Cadbury sells a bar called "Curly Wurly" that is
nearly identical to the old Mars Marathon bar. Right now it is only
sold into Germany, New Zealand, Netherlands, Canary Islands, Canada, France,
Spain, Malta, Ireland, Faroes, Iceland, and the UK. We are looking
into the possibility of getting our hands on some of these if there is
enough interest. Let us hear from you on the matter.
Sources:
Christian Science Monitor, The Home Forum,
March 18, 1999
